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Instrument: PR : TRMM Precipitation Radar |
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Associated Platforms TRMM Spectral/Frequency Information Wavelength Keyword: Radio Spectral/Frequency Coverage/Range: 13.8 GHz horizontal polarization; 220-km swath. Spectral/Frequency Resolution: 4.3 Km horizontal resolution instantaneous field-of-view (nadir), 0.25 km vertical resolution (nadir) Related Data Sets View all records related to this instrument Description PR is the first spaceborne instrument designed to provide 3-D maps of storm structure. The measurements yield invaluable information on the intensity and distribution of the rain, the rain type, the storm depth and the height at which the snow melts into rain. The estimates of the heat released into the atmosphere at different heights based on these measurements can be used to improve models of the global atmospheric circulation. PR has a horizontal resolution at the ground of about 4 km and a swath width of 220 km. One of its most important features is its ability to provide vertical profiles of the rain and snow from the surface to a height of about 20 km. PR is able to detect fairly light rain rates down to about 0.7 mm/hr. For intense rain rates, where the attenuation effects can be strong, new methods of data processing have been developed that help correct for this effect. PR is able to separate out rain echoes for vertical sample sizes of about 250 m when looking straight down. NASA Earth Science Reference Handbook [ Mission: TRMM ] Online Resources http://www.eorc.jaxa.jp/TRMM/channel/earth/index_e.htm http://www.eorc.jaxa.jp/TRMM/channel/instruments/index_e.htm http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/overview_dir/pr.html Instrument Logistics Data Rate: 93.2 Kbps Instrument Owner: JAPAN/JAXA Communications Research Laboratory - Japan |
